Police: Woman rented a gun, used it to kill herself

A woman died Saturday afternoon after police say she walked into a Lafayette gun store and shooting range, rented a handgun and shot herself.

Lafayette police Sgt. Mike Brown said 911 dispatchers received a call at 3:42 p.m. saying that the woman entered Applied Ballistics on Olympia Drive and shot herself in the head.

Police immediately responded and found the woman unresponsive with a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Brown said.

She was taken by ambulance to St. Elizabeth East where she was pronounced dead.

Although Lafayette police have released the victim's name, the Journal & Courier is declining to publish it in an attempt to balance the newsworthiness of the story against the impact on the victim's family.

Police have reviewed surveillance footage of the incident and say it appears she acted alone and they are investigating the shooting as a suicide. No one else was injured, Brown said.

The Tippecanoe County Coroner will determine the official cause and manner of the woman's death.

According to their website, Applied Ballistics has a "top of the line indoor shooting range, retail shop and training facility." It is a public range, and new customers are required to view a roughly 20-minute safety video, then sign waivers and get a card that indicates they've completed those necessary steps, Brown said. The woman watched the video, he said.

Vincent Andrews, who pulled up to Applied Ballistics after the incident, said he has had a membership there for about five years. He said the store was good about walking people through gun safety lessons.

A post made to their their Facebook page at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday says "Applied Ballistics will be closed for the rest of today." Before leaving, personnel removed the American flags in front of the store.

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